Work on one component of the new Gunnedah koala park could begin as soon as this month.
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Gunnedah Shire Council is hoping to begin the koala park eucalypt plantation as soon as possible, to be ready for the estimate completion date of the whole facility in February 2022.
Councillors will vote at the ordinary meeting on Wednesday to reallocate $60,000 from the Farmer Army funds to the Koala Park Capital Works Budget for this project.
"Council's proposed koala park is currently being developed to enable the project to apply for development consent, however there is a need to commence the eucalypt plantation urgently to enable the optimum planting conditions and ultimate success of planting," council's chief engineer Daniel Noble wrote in the business papers.
"It is planned to have the plantation established to coincide with the completion of the koala park scheduled for February 2022, which will require preparation and planting in September 2020."
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Mr Noble wrote that the funds would be used to "engage two local contractors to complete the work".
"Staff managing the koala park project have sought subject matter expertise from a local environmental consultant in planning the proposed eucalypt plantation and finalised two locations, one being the koala park site itself and the second the Gunnedah Resource Centre (Soil Con)," he wrote.
"All parties agree that the opportune time to commence the plantation is the upcoming spring."
According to Mr Noble, both the environmental consultant and staff at the soil conservation centre are "deemed suitably qualified and skilled to do so".
The Farmer Army would not be able to complete the project before December 2020, the papers say, as they will be busy with other projects.
The army's workforce has also "progressively reduced", as rainfall this year has lessened the demand for members.
There are currently three members of the workforce, of which two are reasonably new recruits.
Mr Noble wrote that the council hoped that there would be community participation and that "volunteers will be able to assist with the plantation project where reasonably practicable and safe to do so with members of the Gunnedah Urban Landcare Group expressing an interest".
The park itself will be built on council-owned land next to Balcary Park on the Oxley Highway, and is set to also include themed accommodation, restaurant and function area, and mini golf course.